Category Archives: Salt Water Fish Species

BLACKTIP SHARK (Carcharhinus limbatus) OTHER NAMES: Small Blacktip RANGE: All Florida coasts, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. HABITAT: Occurs from the open sea to the coast. One of the most familiar sharks in Florida, where it is often seen on shallow flats and along beaches and shorelines. Also plentiful around passes and inlets. DESCRIPTION: Gray […]

BLACK SEA BASS (Centropristis striata) OTHER NAMES: Sea Bass, Black Bass, Blackfish, Rockfish, Talywag RANGE: A temperate fish, it is most common off Central and North Florida. Straggles to South Florida, but is absent from the Bahamas. HABITAT: Widely at home, both offshore and inshore. Likes rocky areas, wrecks, channels with hard bottom, jetties, deep […]

BLACKFIN TUNA (Thunnus atlanticus) OTHER NAMES: Bermuda Tuna, Football RANGE: All Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean. HABITAT: The open sea. DESCRIPTION: Dark overall but with a bronze stripe down the side that can cause confusion with the more golden stripe of the Yellowfin Tuna. The finlets, however, are dark. SIZE: Common from 2 to 20 […]

BLACK DRUM (Pogonias cromis) OTHER NAMES: Drum, Striped Drum RANGE: All Florida coasts. HABITAT: Surf and estuarine areas. Most consistently productive fisheries for big Drum are found in the St. Marys River estuary of the northeast coast, the Indian River, Tampa Bay and the Suwannee River estuary. Like Redfish, small Drum forage along shell bars, […]

BIGEYE TUNA (Thunnus obesus) RANGE: Uncommon but present off all Florida coasts, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. HABITAT: The open sea. As the bigeye proves, it stays deep most of the time and so may not be as rare as as the low number of angling encounters would indicate. DESCRIPTION: Confusingly similar in looks to […]

ATLANTIC SPADEFISH (Chaetodipterus faber) OTHER NAMES: Striped Angelfish, Chrivita Chiva RANGE: All Florida coasts, the Bahamas and Caribbean. HABITAT: Likes a variety of structure, from mangroves to corals. Common around navigation markers and pilings in deep channels and sometimes well offshore. DESCRIPTION: Deep, rounded body. First rays of posterior, dorsal and anal fin are long […]

ATLANTIC CROAKER (Micropogonias undulatus) OTHER NAMES: Croaker, Hardhead RANGE: Occurs statewide but is more common in the upper half of Florida. HABITAT: Likes sand or shell bottom. It’s a regular catch in many surf areas but also can be caught from sloughs and channels of inside waters, particularly those with soft bottom. DESCRIPTION: Similar to […]

ATLANTIC BONITO (Sarda sarda) OTHER NAMES: Northern Bonito, Katonotel, Boston Mackerel RANGE: A temperate species, not common in most of Florida but often seen along both the upper Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. A temperate species, not common in most of Florida but often seen along both the upper Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. HABITAT: The open […]

AMERICAN EEL (Anguilla rostrata) OTHER NAMES: Common Eel RANGE: Most, if not all, coastal streams of Florida, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. A few wander far inland to tributaries, and even make it into lakes. The Eel is one of the most widely distributed of all fishes, spawning in a common ground at sea and […]